Do you get a city water bill?

[GH85Carrera]

It is really a misleading term for me. My water bill includes the water of course, the sewer service, trash pickup, a "drainage fee" for the storm drains and a EMS fee that is like insurance. If I pay the EMS fee, I get "free" EMS service. I can opt out and pay for the ambulance ride.

So I received my water bill and was looking at the breakdown and wondered how it relates to other cities. Our water is great, and it wins awards, I drink lots of tap water and love it.

The water I actually used last month: $9.54
The base charge to have the meter: $17.22
The sewer fee: $13.95
Sewer base fee for the connection $6.58
Trash pickup (and recycling) $23.45
Drainage fee for the storm drains $5.69
The EMS fee: $3.65

That adds up to $80.08 for me. I know septic and water wells are far from free, but likely less per month.

[stevej37]

No charge here for water...just have to pay for the electric to draw it up.
Electric bill is always around $100/month for house and water.

[Tidybuoy]

My water/garbage/sewer bill runs about $185 per month. This is California.

When I moved into my house (21 years ago), the bill ran about $125 and was billed every OTHER month.

[Sooner or later]

Water 17.12
Pumping fee 0.04 (water from Waurika to Lawton)
Sewer 12.83
Sewer rehab 2.35
Refuse curb pickup 16.56
Capital outlay 6.50
Drainage maint 2.00
Storm water charge 0.75
Waurika water purchase 7.50

65.65

[uncle_scott]

I get a water bill, and pay one and a half times the going rate because we have municipal water serving the unincorporated county. Average water bill for my family of five is $80 a month. I also have a septic system that requires maintenance every few years. I imagine that pumping service cost is comparable to paying for city sewer when amortized out.

I have worked for a few different municipalities. In some cases your water rate can vary greatly from neighboring communities based on tax structure, bonding needs, and how well the system was maintained over time. It’s a function of paying the bills and everyone ends up subsidizing the poorly working parts of town. Your bill doesn’t seem out of touch from places I’ve lived and worked.

[Mike80911]

I pay for water and sewer together but every gallon of water used is billed as 2 gallons going out. The bill comes quarterly, depending on the season it goes anywhere from $400 to $1400 a quarter. The summer months are brutal with the sprinklers, pool and general use it goes through the roof.

[wdfifteen]

We are the next to last house on the city water line. The price is outrageous - $45 minimum even if we don't use any water. My bill is usually over $100 a month. This does not include sewer (no sewer out here), trash, or anything else.
They don't get fancy with pumping fees, etc. It's just "Pay this or we'll turn your meter off." My meter is in a ditch 1/4 mile away. They read it from a pickup truck as they drive by.

[Rusty Heap]

Joys of living on a private well and a basic gravity fed septic field.

basically free.

[jcommin]

City of Chicago. 2 month bill: Sept 11 - Nov 11

Current water: $20.35 Water rate $4.08/1000 gals
Current sewer: $20.35 Sewer charge is the same rate as water charge
Water sewer tax: $12.54
Current Garbage: $19.00 $9.95/month for my unit

Total: $72.74

[WPOZZZ]

My monthly bill is around $3k for water and sewer.

[NoRush993/951]

Lake Forest, IL adds an additional police & fire pension sweetener charge to their municipal water bill to assist past and current underfunding. That's on top of all the other charges and taxes. The actual water is cheap. The other stuff is legalized looting.

[fastfredracing]

Free. Well and septic . My shop is in the same township and we got public sewage about 10 years ago .
5 k tap in fee, cost me about anther 3k to dig, and install myself, and the bill is 78 monthly .
I will tap in when pubic water and sewage comes to my home. It is about 200 yards up the road currently. I hate our water, and our septic is curious to say the least

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

My monthly bill is around $3k for water and sewer.

Ouch!

[Baz]

Had "free" water when I lived in SW Florida (Lehigh Acres) but when I re-located here - now am I'm on city and am charged double for sewer but overall my bill isn't too bad each month.

Used to be about $80 in Lee County plus they had a coop which paid us back every year.

Average now is about double that.

Including electricity, waste management, etc.

[biosurfer1]

I pay about $185/month for water/sewer.

It's a damn joke. I live in the foothills and in the city about 10 miles away, they pay less than $50/month.

[JavaBrewer]

I am in San Diego county, water bill averages out to $150/month. Low is $80 and high is $250 depending on time of year and rain fall totals.

Electric is brutal, $250/month low, $700/month high (when AC gets used ~ 2 months a year)

Garbage is $65/month

We are on septic and propane (gas range and water heater) and septic is a $600 pump and inspect every 5 years, propane is about $150/month.

Should I continue...

[Sooner or later]

I never pay more than 300 a month for water, electric, and gas combined. 2600 sq ft.

This month will be 65.65 water, 95.72 gas, 42.52 electric.

[uncle_scott]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

I pay about $185/month for water/sewer.

It's a damn joke. I live in the foothills and in the city about 10 miles away, they pay less than $50/month.

Did you ever think your bill might be high because there are 10 miles of infrastructure to serve your property and your handful of neighbors? There is no chance that your $185 a month is coming anywhere close to actually paying the cost of your service way out of town.

[MBAtarga]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

My monthly bill is around $3k for water and sewer.

Can you provide more info/explanation please? I know HI is expensive - but that makes no sense at all. Are you running a water bottling plant on site?

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

Can you provide more info/explanation please? I know HI is expensive - but that makes no sense at all. Are you running a water bottling plant on site?

I talked to a Hawaiian guy today who said a gallon of milk was $8.